“Jesus did not simply restore sight – he revealed Himself.”
When I read this I thought…Eye Contact.
Eye contact is telling and it can be difficult. Of course, it’s welcomed when we’re in a familiar place, with people we know…
But what about when we encounter the poor and the homeless? I think most find it easier to look away. To go about our business without interaction.
To pretend we are on different paths. To remain blind.
But what if we were actually placed on the same path for a reason?
What if our mere existence in the presence of that individual is not random?
I recently had such an experience.
I had been seeing the same individual over and over at an intersection near a shopping center I frequent.
She always carried a sign saying “Homeless – God Bless”.
I must have passed by her dozens of times.
But one day, something stirred in me. I can’t explain it, but I felt drawn to her. I found myself thinking about her and wondering about her story.
So, the next time I saw her, I rolled down my window and I asked her name, and I told her mine.
I asked if there was something I could bring her the next time I was in the area.
Side note…the week before this interaction, when cleaning out a closet in my home, I came across a small fleece blanket that no one had touched in ages. I was just about to throw it away but at the last minute I tossed it into the backseat of my car thinking I might need it at some point.
Well, when I asked the homeless woman that day what I could bring her, her response was…“a blanket”.
I instantly reached into my backseat and handed her the fleece blanket. She thanked me and said, “God Bless You”.
I drove away from her shaking and began to cry. I couldn’t believe what had just happened and how it all played out.
So right then and there, out loud in my car, I said “God…I know that was you!”
I believe God led me there. I believe He wanted me to see Him through her. I believe He used her to help us both feel His presence.
The passage says…”It is among the poor that God wishes to be seen”.
I can tell you firsthand, when those moments happen, they are powerful, they change your perspective, they open your heart.
Lord, please keep my eyes open so that I may see You in those I usually overlook. Amen.
